Carpet sweeper



Aug. 19, 1941. F. w. PULLEN I CARPET SWEEPER Filed May 20, 1940 INVENTOR. FEED W. PULLEN BY ma W A ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Aug. 19, 1941 CARPET SWEEPER Fred W. Pullen, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to I Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application May 20, 1940,. Serial No. 336,153

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in carpet sweepers.

This invention relates to carpet sweepers and particularly to dust pan holding and dumping mechanisms.

It has for its objects:

First, to provide a simple and effective dust pan dumping mechanism for carpet sweepers which may be made inexpensively.

Second, to provide such a mechanism in which the dust pans are held resiliently in closed position to eliminate rattling thereof during operation of the sweeper. l Third, to provide such a mechanism in which the pans may be easily dumped by merely releasing the mechanism without the necessity for exerting a force on the pans for this purpose and which cannot be injured when the pans are open if the sweeper is inadvertently placed on the floor and which cannot be injured even if the pans are moved to open position momentarily without releasing the releasable portion of the mechanism.

Other objects'and advantages pertaining to details and economies of construction andoperation will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined inthe claims. A preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional viewthrough a carpet sweeper embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the parts employed in my invention in disassembled relationship.

Fig. 3 is a partal sectional view showing one of the pansopened manually and the action of the mechanism when-this is done.

The carpet sweeper I has a case 2 having a top 3, ends 4 and sides 5. The sides are'wood pieces which extend lengthwise of the case and are notched at the bottom at 6 to provide stops against which the pans l of the carpet sweeper close. Suitable wheels 8 and a brush 9 are also provided. j

The dust pans! extend lengthwise of thecase and are spaced from one another, one pan.extending along each side of the bottom of the case to close the same. Adjacent the ends of the inner edges of the pans are ea-rs III which are "apertured to receive pivot screws H on the end of the case. The pans pivoted. on these pivot screws may be swung from closed position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to an open position indicated by dotted lines at the right in Fig. 1. For actuating the pans for dumping them and for holding themresiliently in closed position,

I provide pan closing means 12 consisting of a spring'which has its ends I3 pivoted in the ends of the pans at points spaced outwardly toward the edgesof the case from the pivot screws H. The pan closing means l2 has a central straight horizontal portion I4.

The spring means I2 because of the shape thereof'has suflicient resiliency to permit the spring to flex somewhat as the pans move from open to closed position, so that when the pans are held in closed position the resiliency of the spring means l2 holds them resiliently to eliminate rattling.

On the end of the case adjacent the spring means I2, I provide a spring wire dump lever l5 having central pivot portion l6 and an inner arm I! and an outer arm l8 which are offset from one another. This dump lever is pivoted in an aperture l9 in the case in which I provide a U-shaped bearing member 20 which is formed of suitable sheet metal. At the inner end of the arm |1,'I provide a loop I'll in the wire through which the straight horizontal portion M of the spring means l2 extends slidably. At the outer end of the dump lever I5, I form a loop or eye 2| in which a rivet 22 is inserted to provide a suitable pressure plate for the exertion of pressure by the finger of the operator of thesweeper.

On the case I provide a catch 23 under which the outer end of the lever l5 may be engaged when the pans are in closed position, so that they will be held in closed position. When the sweeper is closed, the spring dump lever I5 is slightly 'tensioned and its tension assists the spring means l2 in exerting a resilient force to hold the pans in closed position.

When it is desired to dump the dust pans, a slight pressure on the lever l5 and an outward movement away from the catch 23 releases the lever, permitting it to swing upwardly. This permits the dust pan to swing downwardly so that litter collected in the use of the sweeper may be dumped. The spring means exerts substantially no pan closing tension when the lever is released and the pansfall freely to dumping position. a

By providing the loop IB through which the horizontal portion [4 of the spring means l2 may slide, I eliminate danger of injury to the mechanism which might result if the sweeper were put downwith the pans in open position. If this were done one of the pans would be bent back around under the brush and if this is done the horizontal portion M of the spring means I2 will slide through loop l8 so that no permanent set in the spring means 12 results.

Many times those conversant with carpet sweepers will grasp the pans and open them manually. With a mechanism of the type shown and described, injury might result to the pan spring if this were done without releasing the lever l from the catch 23, were it not for the fact that when this is done with the carpet sweeper above described, the spring lever will flex, as shown in Fig. 3, sufficiently to avoid putting a permanent set in the pan closing spring means [2.

The terms and expressions which have been herein employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. .In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which the pans rest in closed position, pivots on said case pivoting said pans adjacent the ends of their inner edges to permit the pans to swing downwardly from the bottom of the case, spring means having its ends pivoted to the ends of the pans at points spaced from the aforesaid pivots outwardly toward the edges of the case and having a substantially straight central horizontal portion, a spring wire dump lever having a centrally located pivot portion and offset arms 'extending from opposite ends thereof with its pivot portion pivoted in an aperture in the end of the case, the inner end of said lever having a loop formed therein through which the central portion of said spring means extends slideably, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said leverand hold it, in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops, said spring means being so disposed that on release of said lever said spring means exerts substantially .no pan closing tension, whereby the release of said lever permits the free end thereof to raise and said pans to swing downwardly free from pan closing spring tension to dump the sweeper.

2. In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which the pans rest in closed position, pivots on said case pivoting said pans adjacent the ends of their inner edges to permit the pans to swing downwardly from the bottom of the case, spring means having its ends pivoted to the ends of the pans at points spaced from the aforesaid pivots outwardly toward the edges of the case and having a substantially straight central horizontal portion, a spring dump lever pivoted between its ends on the end of said case and having its end slideably engaging the central portion of said spring means, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said lever and hold it in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops, said spring means being so disposed that on release of said lever said spring means exerts substantially no pan closing tension, whereby the release of said lever permits the free end thereof to raise and said pans to swing downwardly free from pan closing spring tension to dump the sweeper.

3. In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which the pans rest in closed position, pivots on said case pivoting said pans adjacent the ends of their inner edges to permit the pans to swing downwardly from the bottom of the case, spring means having its ends pivoted to the ends of the pans at points spaced from the aforesaid pivots 1outwardly toward the edges of the case, a spring dump lever pivoted between its ends on the end of said case and having resiliency in its plane of pivotal movement and having its inner end engaging said spring means, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said lever and hold it in tension and in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops, said spring means being so disposed that on release of said lever said spring means exerts substantially no pan closing tension, whereby the release of said lever permits the free end thereof to raise and said pans to swing downwardly free from pan closing spring tension to dump the sweeper.

4. In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which the pans rest in closed position, pivots on said case pivoting said pans adjacent the ends of their inner edges to permit the pans to swing downwardly from the bottom of the case, a pan closing member having its ends pivoted to the ends of the pans at points spaced from the adjacent pivots outwardly toward the edges of the case and extending between the pans and having a substantially straight central horizontal portion, a spring wire dump lever having a centrally located pivot portion and oiTset arms extending from opposite ends thereof with its pivot portion pivoted in an aperture in the end of the case, the inner end of said lever having a loop formed therein through which the central portion of said pan closing member extends slidably, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said lever and hold it in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops.

5. In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which the pans rest in closed position, pivots on said case pivoting said pans adjacent the ends of their inner edges to permit the pans to swing downwardly from the bottom of the case, a pan closing member having its ends pivoted to the ends of the pans at points spaced from the adjacent pivots outwardly toward the edges of the case and extending between the pans and having a substantially straight central horizontal portion, a spring dump lever pivoted between its ends on the end of the case and having its inner end slidably engaging the central portion of said pan closing member, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said lever and hold it in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops.

6. In a carpet sweeper having a case, the combination of a pair of spaced dust pans each extending along one side of the bottom of the case to close the same, stops on the case against which having resiliency in its plane of pivotalmovement and having its inner end engaging said pan closing means, and a catch on said case to engage the outer end of said lever and hold it in tension and in down position to hold the pans closed resiliently against said stops.

FRED W. PULLEN. 

